Dave McGrath, the new chairman of Almost Athletes, is a big fan of the club.

That’s something you’d expect, of course, and he’s keen to spread the word about all the good things at the club.

And he’s got the perfect opportunity to do just that over the next couple of years because the club celebrates its 40^th anniversary in 2028.

That’s a pretty impressive milestone for the Cheltenham-based club which has some 400 members and a strong sense of pride on being welcoming to all.

The 61-year-old McGrath took over as chairman in late October after Peter Mitchener stepped down from the role.

He’d previously served as a welfare officer at the club, having joined Almost Athletes about 16 years ago.

“We’re a good club, a mature club,” he said. “There’s something going on at Almost Athletes almost every day.

“We’re volunteer-led but we’re very lucky because we’ve got a strong volunteer base.”

And McGrath, who is also a club coach, is a big part of that volunteer base.

“I try to get involved and help out in any way I can,” he said.

And he sees 2028 as a big year for the club.

“Yes, I do,” he said. “We do an awful lot of good things but we need to look to the  future and see how we can best serve the membership and future members. What do we want to be?”

The club has a good number of strong runners, but McGrath is keen to broaden the appeal.

“More social stuff, more fun stuff,” he said.

And he’s already got a couple of ideas.

The club will have a tent at the annual PatsFest, a summer festival at the Patesians Sports and Social Club, and McGrath said: “Maybe we’ll have an egg and spoon race or a beer race.”

Almost Athletes is an affiliated member of the Pats club and uses its facilities to hold club meetings.

The Pats are best known for rugby, of course, and back in the day McGrath, an ex-St Benedict’s School pupil, was a very decent rugby player.

He was a wing and was good enough to play for Gloucestershire Colts and South West Colts and went on to play senior rugby for Cheltenham Saracens before joining Cheltenham where he played alongside the likes of Chris Scott, John Cropper and Chris and Andy White for a number of years.

He also played a bit of Sunday league football for Eagle Star and again he played primarily on the wing.

He was quick back then but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that he started to get into running.

“I did a bit of triathlon and entered a few races and in the late noughties I joined Cheltenham Harriers. I enjoyed it,” he recalled. “They are a great club but my focus was changing to a more social outlet for my running."

It was through his wife Sam that he joined Almost Athletes.

“She got involved in running through the Women’s Running Network, which was encouraging women to run,” he said.

“She joined the Almosts and it became a great social and running draw for us. About a year later I moved across but retain many great friends at The Harriers.”

Joining Almost Athletes is a decision he’s never regretted. McGrath is a good runner – he’s run a marathon in three hours, 16 minutes – but it’s everything that comes with the sport he really cherishes.

“I wouldn’t get anywhere near my marathon PB time now but that’s not important,” he said. “It’s the enjoyment you get from running.

“I love running in the hills and the open countryside, and I really like the ultra-marathons.

“I did the Pembrokeshire Ultra which was 50 kilometres and one in the Lake District which was 55k, but beyond the running it’s a great day out.

“It’s a great achievement because it’s hard work but it’s great fun too.”

And that’s the Almost Athletes’ message that McGrath is so keen to promote.

He wants people to run and have fun, something that McGrath plans to do for a long while yet.

“When I’m fit I can be competitive in my age group,” he said.

And he proved that in January in the Linda Franks 5 Mile, a race which is organised by Almost Athletes, when he was the first V60 home.

“I was ranked second in the UK over five miles in 2026 for my age group,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “There hadn’t been many five-mile races by then!”

McGrath would prefer not to talk about himself, he’d much rather turn the spotlight on Almost Athletes.

“We’re a club for everybody. We are inclusive and welcoming,” he said. “We’re open for business, we’ve got a lot to offer and we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”